Lobster Bisque
Yield: 8 cups, or 6 to 8 servings
TO PREPARE THE LOBSTER
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 pounds lobster meat (claw, tail, body, or fin)
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (to season the lobster meat only)
- 4 tablespoons cognac
Directions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.
- When the foaming has subsided, add the lobster, salt, and pepper.
- Sauté the lobster meat for about 1 minute, until the meat is fully coated with butter.
- Add 4 tablespoons of the cognac and continue to cook approximately one minute more, until the cognac is fully incorporated.
- Remove the lobster from the heat and drain it in a colander over a bowl.
- Reserve both the lobster and the liquid. And do this quickly. Nobody wants to eat overcooked lobster.
TO PREPARE THE SOUP
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup diced onion
- ¼ cup flour
- 3 ½ cups very rich chicken stock
- 3 ½ cups milk
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 7 tablespoons double-strength tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon dried tarragon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions
- In a medium-sized skillet over a medium heat, melt the butter.
- When the foaming has subsided, add the onions and stir, cooking them until they become translucent, approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the flour and stir the mixture until the flour has cooked through, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. The mixture will be fairly stiff. Turn off the heat.
- In a large, heavy pot, over a medium heat, heat the stock and the milk until it is almost scalding.
- Add the salt and pepper to the butter and onion mixture.
- Whisk it vigorously to break up any lumps.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn off the heat.
- The soup base will have thickened to the appropriate consistency after boiling.
- Add the cognac, lemon juice, garlic, tomato paste, tarragon, and nutmeg.
- Add the reserved pan juices from the cooked lobster and whisk thoroughly.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then remove it from the heat.
- When you are ready to serve the soup, divide the cooked lobster meat equally in the soup serving plates and pour the hot soup over the lobster.
By Alex Hitz